The Sacrifice
by Believe78
Summary: A threat is made to Peter that involves Alicia. What will he do?
1. The Threat

_Just a little idea I had in the back of my mind for a while now. I hope you like it :)_

* * *

Peter sat at his desk in the State's Attorneys office going through some case-files, that had piled up lately. The campaign took more of his time than he anticipated.

It had gotten late and he just contemplated leaving or opening up another file when he heard a knock on his door. He looked up confused and checked his watch for the exact time. He had thought that everyone except him had already left.

"Come in!" he called out and looked curious to the door.

It was opened and Mike Kresteva entered the room.

"Hello, Peter." Kresteva closed the distance to Peter's desk with a few wide strides.

"How is it going, Peter?" Kresteva flashed Peter an exuberant smile.

"Hello, Mike!" Peter plastered a fake smile on his face. "To what do I owe this sudden visit?" he gestured towards the chairs in front of his desk inviting Kresteva to sit down.

"Cutting right to the chase there, Peter!" Kresteva chuckled and sat down.

"I think we can skip the pleasantries." Peter looked straight at him.

"All right!" Kresteva reached for his briefcase and rested it on his lap. "You remember when I told you, you would not regret running for Governor but your wife would?" he opened the briefcase and took a manila envelope out of it.

"Yes." Peter nodded slowly.

"Well, the time to make good on that promise has come now." the smile on Kresteva's face had gone.

"Then I don't understand why you are here in my office. Shouldn't you be talking to my wife instead?" it was Peter's turn to chuckle now.

"Not if I can give you a chance she might not have to regret it." Kresteva was playing with the envelope in his hands.

"What are you talking about? What do you have?" Peters voice became serious.

"Something that will look very bad for Alicia and for her firm. Didn't Lockhard/Gardner just offer her to become partner? It might also impact your campaign as she is supporting you." Kresteva still dangled the envelope in front of Peter.

"This..." Kresteva placed the envelope on the desk "...will not be as big as your scandal. But the press will love it nonetheless. I can already see the headlines 'The downfall of a Saint!'" Kresteva laughed.

Peter raised an eyebrow on Kresteva's latest remark. He had an idea where Mike was going with this and hoped he was wrong.

"Cut it out, Mike!" Peter was getting annoyed by Krestevas stalling tactics.

"Oh, you're right. I might enjoy our little conversation even more once you know what I am talking about." he picked up the envelope again and threw it over the desk towards Peter. It hit the wooden surface and scooted a few more inches until Peter stopped it with his arm.

"Open it, Peter!" Mike leaned back in his chair and watched Peter with amusement in his eyes.

Peter reluctantly picked up the envelope. He reached into it and produced a small stack of photos with the backside facing him. He turned them slowly, glancing at Kresteva who smirked at him.

The photo on the top showed obviously the inside of a Hotel room. In front of the bed stood a couple in a close embrace. He could not make out their features but the woman looked familiar to him. He sighed deeply and looked inquiring at Kresteva.

"Go on. I am sure you will recognize them." Kresteva was clearly enjoying this.

Peter placed the first photo on the desk revealing the next picture. He gasped in surprise. The faces of the couple were now clearly visible. It looked like the camera had zoomed in significantly. He closed his eyes for a second and exhaled. It was Alicia and Will. This picture seemed to been taken a while after the previous one as the first picture still had them fully clothed. This picture showed Will shirtless. He was engaged in kissing Alicia's throat and unbuttoning her blouse. Alicia's eyes were closed and she was clearly enjoying Wills actions.

"What do you want?" Peter shook his head in disgust and threw the pictures on the desk.

"Don't you want to look at the rest? It gets better!" Mike's voice was still cheerful.

"What do you want?" Peter got impatient and stood from his chair.

"You have three guesses!" Kresteva laughed and looked at Peter expectantly. But Peter just shook his head and watched him angrily.

"Oh, Peter! Don't be such a kill joy!" Kresteva laughed. "I want you to drop out of the race. If you don't, this.." he pointed at the pictures "..will find its way to an eager journalist."

"You can not be serious, Mike." Peters sounded slightly desperate.

"I am serious. Drop out and I will forget these pictures exist. Don't drop out and you're wife's affair with her boss will go public. Your choice, Peter." Kresteva stood from his chair and went for the exit.

"Oh, and Peter, should you decide to stay in the race, you won't find a way to link the pictures to my campaign." Kresteva turned in front of the door.

"Even if I drop out you still have to beat Maddie." Peter walked around his desk.

"Sure, but I have dirt on her, too." Kresteva shrugged at Peter. "Think about it, Peter. You have a week to announce it. Otherwise I wouldn't buy a newspaper the following day." Mike opened the door.

"You forgot your pictures, Mike!" Peter called out after him.

"Keep them! For your personal...pleasure!" Kresteva smirked at Peter and left the office.

After the door fell shut behind Kresteva Peter collapsed into his chair. He hid his face in his hands and took a few deep breaths. When he opened his eyes again his gaze fell onto the pictures that were still lying on his desk. He couldn't bear to look through all of them, so he grabbed them and shoved them into one of the desks drawers, locked it and put the key into his pocket. Breathing seemed to be easier now that they were out of sight. He reached for his cell phone and wrote a text:

_We need to talk asap. Meet you at my office first thing in the morning._

He hit send and put the phone away. Leaning back in his chair he just sat for a few minutes before he got up and left the office.

* * *

_So, what do you think? Should I go on with this?_

_Please remember: Reviews are a writer's payment ;)_


	2. The Decision

Finally the second chapter :)

Thanks for your reviews and sorry it took so long for the update :( I hope you'll like it :)

I do not own TGW otherwise we A/P shippers had nothing to worry for tomorrows episode ;)

* * *

It was not yet 7 am when Peter sat on his desk again. He had slept badly, tossing and turning, thinking about what Kresteva had said to him last night. The few times he had fallen asleep for a couple of minutes the pictures of Will and Alicia haunted his mind. And however he had not seen them all, he hoped the images his mind conjured up were worse then the actual photos. He still had no desire at all to look at the rest of them. Although the thought crossed his mind that he had to as part of his punishment for his own sin of betraying his wife. He retrieved the key to the drawer, which hid the pictures, from his pocket. Leaning back in his chair he turned the little silver key a few times between the fingers of both his hands. Sighing deeply he finally bent down to place the key in the lock, when the door to his office was opened boldly and Eli entered. Peter stood up and put the key quickly into his pocket.

"Good Morning, Peter." Eli sat down in one of the chairs opposite to Peter. "What is so urgent that it couldn't wait?" he tried to repress a yawn.

"Sorry, Eli." Peter plastered a half smile on his face and walked around his desk to sit down next to Eli whose gaze followed him impatiently.

"Eli, I need you to prepare everything for a press conference on Monday."

"Why? What do you want to announce?" Eli couldn't hide his curiosity.

"I am dropping out of the race." he looked straight into Eli's face and saw the disbelief in his eyes.

"You can not be serious, Peter!" It had taken Eli a few moments to find his voice but now he was nearly shouting the words at Peter.

"I am, Eli. And my decision is final!" Eli could hear the severity in his tone as he continued to just stare at Peter.

"This can't be, Peter! You've got a real chance of winning here! Dropping out now is insane!" Eli had left his chair and was pacing the room now.

"Why, Peter? Everything looks good. We're ahead in the polls and even Alicia's comment on religion didn't harm us. What has changed since yesterday? Does Alicia want you to drop out?" Eli was getting angrier by the second. One strand of his hair had fallen into his face as he continued to walk up and down the room.

"Leave Alicia out of this. She doesn't even know, yet." Peter snapped at Eli.

"Then why, Peter? Give me one good reason for your decision and I will shut up!" he had stopped his pacing and stood directly in front of Peter now, who still remained in his seat.

"My reason is private, Eli. And nothing you say or do will change it!" Peter had also raised his voice now, a serious look on his face. He contemplated for a split second to tell Eli the real reason, but decided against it. The fewer people knew the better.

"But Peter, this is crazy! I thought you wanted this! Your next big dream and we are so close! You can't throw this away now!" Eli was shouting again.

"You're right. I wanted this, Eli. And I know we are close. But sometimes you have to sacrifice a dream. And that's what I am doing now." he looked seriously at Eli.

"Then tell me, Peter! What is worth sacrificing your dream for? Tell me and maybe I'll find a way you can have both!"

"No!" Peter sharply interrupted Eli and stood from his seat. "That's enough, Eli! You will accept my decision and do all that is necessary to prepare for my announcement on Monday."

"But...!" Eli tried to say something but Peter shot him a stern look, which told him this discussion was over.

"All right!" Eli shrugged. "If you're that serious. Just send over your speech and I'll do the rest." Peter could hear a hint of resignation and disappointment in Eli's voice.

He nodded in response and Eli turned to leave the office.

Peter let out a relieved sigh when the door closed behind Eli and fell back into the chair again. He was glad that this conversation was finished. He rested his forehead in his hand and shook his head. The first step was done. He had no other choice. He had to abandon his ambitions to become governor. He saw no alternative. Releasing another deep breath he rose from the chair to start on his speech. He was sure he was doing the right thing for himself and most importantly for his family.

* * *

Alicia had just returned to her office after a long day in court. She was packing up a few files on a case that would go to court the following week, talking with Cary in between. They were still sharing an office and Alicia had no doubt it would stay like this for a while although both of them had accepted the offer to become partner.

Alicia was just putting her cell phone in her bag and reached for her coat to leave the office when the door flew open and Eli stormed into the room.

"Is this your doing?" he shouted at her and tossed a few pieces of paper onto her desk.

Alicia watched Cary leap up from his seat, leaving the office fast and closing the door behind him. Alicia wished she could trade places with him. The last thing she needed to top off her day was a screaming Eli. She placed the bag on her desk again slowly, smiling at him.

"Hello, Eli." She greeted him in the friendliest tone she could manage. She saw that he was ready to explode and her calm response made him even angrier.

"Did you tell Peter to do this?" Eli pointed towards the papers that were still lying in front of her.

She did not glance at the papers but kept her gaze at Eli, still smiling.

"Do I really need to read it..." her eyes rested for a moment on the sheets before she met Eli's stare again "...or will you just tell me?"

"Peter is dropping out of the race for Governor. This is his renunciation speech. I am told to prepare the announcement for Monday." Eli's voice was slowly returning to a normal volume.

Alicia gasped and looked at him in shock.

"He...what?...are you?...he can't!" she stammered while Eli's words sank in but still made no sense.

"Why?" that was all she could manage and it was also the most pressing question in her mind.

"I hoped you could tell me why." Eli's anger seemed to fade while he looked at Alicia's upset face.

"No, I had no idea." she shook her head in disbelief, blankly staring at her desktop.

"Didn't he give you a reason?" her eyes met Eli's searching for an answer.

"Just that it is private and he wrote in his statement that his withdrawal was due to personal and family matters. So, I figured you knew or had something to do with it."

Eli let out a heavy breath. "I'm sorry for my outrage earlier, Alicia." he flashed a small smile at her.

Alicia returned the smile accepting his apology.

"Could you talk to him? Find out what is behind this?" Eli asked carefully. "I haven't told anyone, yet. We still have a few days till Monday."

"You can be sure that I will talk to him! I want to know what's going on. But I can't promise you anything, Eli."

"Fair enough." he smiled at her. "I gotta go now. Thank you, Alicia." he turned and left the office.

Alicia watched him leave, falling back into her chair. She had no idea what was happening. She reached for the papers that Eli had left and skimmed the text, trying to find a hidden message between Peter's vague words. There was none. She grabbed her coat and bag, retrieving her cell from it on her way to the elevator.

She dialed Peter's number and it started ringing by the time she waited for it to arrive.

"Hey, Alicia." Peter answered after the second ring.

"Hi, where are you?" she stepped through the opening elevator doors and pressed the button to the garage.

"In the car heading home. I just left work. Are you ok?" he sensed that something was wrong with her.

"Good, I'll meet you there. I'm leaving the office right now. We need to talk!"

"Ok! See you..." Alicia had hung up. All Peter could hear was the constant beep of the disconnected line.

He threw the phone onto the passenger seat and tried to concentrate on driving as he made his way out of the city. He had a good idea what Alicia wanted to talk about. He was sure Eli had been to see her. He groaned and grabbed the wheel tighter.

This was not how he planned for her to find out. He thought he had been clear to Eli to leave Alicia out of it. He should have known better. Eli would not rest before he knew the real reason for his withdrawal or had convinced him to go on, whatever the consequences. But not this time. His family would not become fodder for the media once more. Not if he could prevent it. If the last years had taught him anything it was that his family mattered the most. His mind went back towards the pictures which he carried in his briefcase now. He winced when he imagined them being published for everyone, including his kids, to see. He still hadn't mustered the courage to look at the whole stack. He planned to hide them at home in the safe and burn them as soon as everything was over. He couldn't risk for anyone to find them.

Finally he pulled into his driveway. He got out of the car and made his way to the front door when a pair of headlights illuminated the otherwise dark front yard. He turned in the doorway and saw Alicia's car park behind his own. He took a deep breath while she got out of the vehicle and walked towards him.

"Hey!" he let her step into the house first. She just nodded as she passed by him.

She got rid of her coat and walked straight to the living room. He also hung his coat and put his briefcase away. Hesitantly he followed her but stayed in the doorway watching her.

"Would you like a glass of wine?" he offered trying to produce a small smile.

"No!" she shook her head while opening her bag and retrieving his speech from it.

"I'd rather talk about this!" she tossed the papers on the coffee table.

He recognized it immediately. He had been right. No one else but Eli had seen this yet.

"So, Eli talked to you." he slowly walked into the room and sat down on the couch. Alicia followed his moves while she still stood in the middle of the room. He tried to make out her mood, but he could not really read her expression.

"Why, Peter?" she looked at him and now he could see the anger in her eyes mixed with sadness and disbelief.

"Would you please sit down." he gestured towards the space next to him on the couch.

She let out a small sigh while she walked towards the armchair on the opposite side of the couch and sat down. She stayed on the edge of the seat, resting her elbows on her knees, looking at him expectantly.

"Why?" she repeated.

He cleared his throat, trying to buy some time before he had to answer.

"Certain facts came to my attention yesterday. And they leave me with no other possibility then to drop out." he avoided to look at her.

"What facts? Do you care to elaborate?" Alicia looked directly towards him, trying to force him to look at her, too.

"I can't tell you, but you have to believe that I am doing this to protect you and the kids." his eyes were fixed on a point on the carpet before his feet. He could not look at her. He was too afraid of what he would see in her eyes.

After a few seconds had passed in total silence he looked up at her. She still had her gaze attached to his eyes an earnest look on her face.

"So, was the affair with that campaign worker true after all?" she closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head. "And I had thought this time you had been honest with me. I really believed you had changed, Peter." she shook her head again and released a deep breath.

"No!" Peter stood from his seat and hurried towards her. "I did not sleep with that girl. That was a complete lie. You know that, Alicia." he put a hand on her shoulder willing her to look at him.

"Don't, Peter!" she also stood up, forcing him to let go of her. "Please don't try to hide a lie with another one. Not this time." her voice was barely a whisper.

"I am not lying, Alicia. Please, you have to trust me on this. I did not have an affair with that campaign worker or anyone else. I would never do this to you again." he reached for her hand but she stepped away from him.

"Then tell me why you throw your career away. If you really have changed then tell me." her voice was filled with anger now. "Show me that you deserve my trust again, Peter!"

"I can't." he slightly shook his head. "It would hurt you too much and I can't do that."

"What could hurt me more then I've already been hurt by you?" she laughed bitterly. "If you don't tell me, Peter, I'll have to assume that I am right and I can't stand you lying to me again. I really believed you had changed. I was so close to trust you again. But I should have known it."

Peter could see tears form in her eyes. He closed the distance between them once more reaching out for her hand.

"Don't touch me, Peter." she backed further away from him.

"Alicia, please..." he started to talk but she cut him off.

"Tell me the truth, Peter, or go on from here alone." she turned and walked towards the door.

"What do you mean with that?" he called after her.

She turned in the doorway a sad smile on her lips.

"If you can't tell me the truth we probably should think about ending our marriage for real." she stepped out of the room.

"No, please, Alicia. Trust me on this. I am doing this for you and the kids, please..." he was begging now, close to coming clean about his reasons. But he couldn't tell her Kresteva's evil plan.

"I can't! Just like you!" she had already put on her coat and was opening the front door.

"Goodbye, Peter."

Alicia hurried towards her car hoping he would not follow her. She felt empty and hurt.

She glanced back at the house while she got into the car and thought she saw him behind the window watching her. She backed out of the driveway and drove away without looking back again.

All the way home the conversation whirred in her head. She could not believe he would lie to her again. She had successfully held back the tears while she was still in the house, but now they silently streamed down her face. She shook her head at herself. She had been stupid enough to nearly fall for him again. She should have known better. On the outside she had managed to keep her poker face towards him, making him believe she just wanted the physical closeness during the last weeks. But inside she had known for quite some time now that she could not keep this up any longer. She had wanted to be with him again, feeling the need to stay every time a little more when she forced herself from his arms after they had slept together. Trying not to give him false hopes too early by staying. The irony hit her hard. She had been the one with the false hopes, believing he had changed and deserved another chance. She had been wrong again. Once more he had shattered everything and she had enough. He would not get the chance to do it one more time. She would need to talk to David Lee the next day, to get things on the divorce rolling again. She let out a deep sigh and wiped the tears from her face when she drove into the garage of her apartment building. She parked the car, gathered her bag from the passenger seat and drove up towards her floor. She felt like she had no other choice but to divorce Peter at last. She couldn't go on like this again.

Finally she stood in front of her apartment door, searching for her keys when her gaze fell on a big brown envelope that lay on the doormat. She bent down and picked it up before opening the door. She put her coat and bag away still holding the envelope in her hand. There was no writing on the outside. When she opened it a photo and a sheet of paper came to view. She pulled out the paper and gasped when she read what was written on it.

_**If you don't want to see this in the newspapers, make sure Peter drops out of the race!**_

She reached into the envelope again and produced the photo. Another shocked sound escaped her when she realized the picture showed herself and Will having sex in a Hotel room. She just stood there for a while, frozen to the spot trying to take in what the picture and the note meant.

Finally she felt able to move again. She put the paper and photo back in the envelope and walked into her bedroom. She picked up the phone only then noticing that her whole body was shaking. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself before she finally dialed the all too familiar number. Her call was answered after just one ring.

"I'm sorry!" was all she managed to say before she started to sob uncontrollably.


	3. The Talks

_Finally, I managed to finish the 3rd chapter. Thank you for hanging in there. Work has been stressful lately :(_

_A big THANK YOU goes out to Josie and Steffi for their support :) You two are just great :)_

_I still do not own The Good Wife :(_

* * *

Peter watched Alicia hurry to her car through the window. She had managed another escape, maybe the final one of so many during the last few weeks. He was able to get one last look at her face when she got into the vehicle and had glanced towards the house once more. But he was not able to tell if she had realized he was watching her. But he had seen that hurt and haunted look in her face, that burnt itself into his heart. Then finally she drove away. He didn't know how long he stood there motionless by the window, still watching the spot where he had last seen her car vanish before his eyes.

Finally he made his way back towards the living room. The room still echoed with her words. The worst thing was that he understood her reaction completely. He knew she still didn't trust him entirely and he had just asked for that, her complete trust in his decision without knowing why he had made it. He should have known that she was not able to do that. But he still stood by his choice not to tell her. He couldn't bear to bring more hurt into her life. What he already caused was enough for more than a lifetime. He'd rather set her free, albeit the thought alone to finally put the word divorce under their marriage made his heart clench.

He poured himself a scotch and sat down on the armchair Alicia had been sitting in earlier. Unconsciously he mimicked her posture resting his elbows on his knees watching the amber liquid swirl in the glass. He cursed himself once more for bringing all this tragedy over his family. He had no one else to blame but himself for what was happening now. He had started all this five years ago by thinking he was smart enough to never get caught. Of course, he had been caught and from that moment on his life never was the same again. Although his name had been cleared of the bribery-accusations and he had gotten his old status back, at least in the public eye, his private life remained confusing. Even more so in the last months since Thanksgiving when they had started having sex more or less regularly again. Before that, everything had been pretty clear in their relationship. They shared the parenting responsibilities for Zach and Grace and Alicia supported him in his campaign. Nothing more. Having sex again had transported them into a grey area and Alicia's refusal to talk about where they were in their relationship left him even more confused. He knew what he wanted - Alicia. Now even more than ever since their lives had lost the balance due to his betrayal. But what Alicia had wanted was a total mystery to him. He doubted he would ever find out after tonight. She had made it pretty clear what she thought of their future together, if he did not tell her his real motive for dropping out.

_...we probably should think about ending our marriage for real..._ He silently winced when her words crossed his mind. It had sounded so final with no chance for him to make her change her mind. He thought he was done paying for his sins, but right now it seemed to him he would continue to pay for them his whole life. Especially if he had lost Alicia for good now. He sank back into the cushions realizing he still had the glass in his hand. He had not even taken a sip from his drink. He leaned towards the coffee table to place the glass on it, when the phone that was also lying there rang. He didn't even check for the caller ID when he answered.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry!" he recognized Alicia's voice. She didn't say anything more. All he heard was her starting to cry and then the line went dead.

He stared at the phone in his hand. He had no idea what had happened. He tossed the phone back on to the table and rushed outside, grabbing his coat in passing. Before he knew it he was in his car speeding into town.

* * *

She knew she had hung up on Peter. It had not been intentionally but when she started crying the phone dropped to the floor and she simply had not the strength to pick it up again. She had fallen back on to the bed, tears streaming down her face and her whole body was shaking uncontrollably from her sobs. She had been so hard on him, when all he was trying to do was protect her. Why hadn't she been able to trust him? She had seen that he had changed. Had she really thought another affair was behind his decision? Or had it been a mere habit to ignore her feelings towards him which told her to just trust him once again. But she had learnt not to go with her feelings when it came to Peter. He had lied to her more than once and his second betrayal had hit her at a time when she had been comfortable with their life again and it just had started getting back to somehow normal. Who could blame her for not wanting to get burnt a third time? She knew their relationship was a long way from normal and she had brought it into dangerous territory by adding sex to it. The night it had happened for the first time again she had been furious at her mother for trying to manipulate her life. She had needed to let off steam and screaming at Veronica had not been an option with Owen, Jackie and the kids around, so she went for the next best thing - a quickie with her estranged husband in the unlocked bathroom. He had asked if this was about her mother and she had confirmed it. But afterwards when they had sneaked out again, hoping no one had realized they had been gone for quite a while, she had already known deep down it was only half the truth. It had felt so good and right in the strangest of ways as it had been a long time since she had even thought of Peter in any sexual aspects. Yes, there had been this kiss after she had found out that he had indeed not slept with that campaign worker. But it was just meant as a thank you for telling the truth. New tears formed in her eyes when she remembered her accusation from earlier tonight. She had known back then that he had told her the truth about that, but here she had used it against him again. She felt like she had built a wall around her heart and it seemed to her that whenever a positive feeling towards Peter appeared outside that wall a defense mechanism turned it into doubt. She was so sick and tired of this. She wanted to stop doubting his every move, looking for lies behind each of his words. She longed for the days when trusting him had been easy and nothing he had to earn from her. Deep down in her heart she knew she was ready to trust him again, that he deserved a real second chance.

She was finally able to sit up again. The heavy weeping had died down. She was just reaching for the handset that lay next to the bed, wondering why Peter had not attempted to call her back, when she heard the front door.

"Alicia?" she heard Peter calling out softly, his steps approaching her bedroom.

He slowly opened the door but as soon as he saw Alicia sitting on the bed, her eyes puffy from crying, he rushed to her side, sitting down next to her, pulling her close to him. The moment he put his arm around her she buried her face into his shoulder, clutching at his lapels with both hands and the tears started to silently stream down her face again.

"I am so sorry, Peter." she managed to say between sobs. Peter did not respond, he just pulled her closer, stroking gently over her hair and back.

"It's ok! I am the one who should be sorry, babe." he placed a light kiss on top of her head and felt her slightly shake her head against his chest.

"I should have known that you could not accept my explanation or rather the lack of one." he continued to caress her back in delicate circles. Alicia started to relax under his touch and loosened her grip on his coat. Peter just kept on holding her while she slowly calmed down. Finally there were no more tears left and she tilted her head to look at Peter, only now truly realizing that he had driven the way from Highland Park to her apartment without asking why she had called or why she was crying.

"Why are you here?" she asked while sitting up a bit, slowly removing her hands from his chest.

Peter flashed her a tiny smile, releasing her from his embrace but kept one of his hands at the small of her back.

"You cried. I felt like I needed to be here..." she saw the sadness in his eyes and his words made her shiver slightly. New tears formed in her eyes and escaped down her cheeks.

"Sh, no more tears." Peter gently wiped them from her face.

"I was stupid to expect you to trust me on this without giving you a reason. I know I deserve your mistrust for the lies I told you in the past, Alicia, and I'll tell you why I have no other choice than dropping out of the race if you still insist on it. But I hope you won't, 'cause it will hurt you and I can't bear to add more pain to the one I've already caused." he looked at her insecure.

"I know, Peter." she reached for the envelope on her nightstand.

"I know what you tried to hide from me and that is why I have to be sorry." she offered him the envelope and he took it with a confused look.

"What is that?" he slowly reached inside.

"This was at the door when I arrived earlier. You might have already seen what's inside, but if you haven't I need to tell you something before you do." she grabbed his hands and stilled his movements. Peter let the envelope fall on his lap and looked at her puzzled. He lightly nodded his head urging her to go on.

Alicia took a deep breath, still holding his one hand in her own, her thumb drawing nervous circles on the back of his hand.

"You always suspected that I had an affair with Will back when you were still living here...it was not true then, but after I kicked you out, we...Will and I..." she broke up, her eyes avoiding his glance, looking down on the floor.

"I know, Alicia." he reached out and softly lifted her chin up to make her face him again.

"I read your testimony from the Grand Jury."

She looked at him, a lump forming in her throat.

"Why didn't you say something?" Alicia's voice was barely a whisper.

"I figured you would tell me eventually. And it was not my place to judge you, Alicia, it still isn't. We were already separated when it started. I don't like that I was right but I have to live with it. It's the price I have to pay for my betrayal to you." Alicia saw the sincerity in his eyes and knew that he wasn't comparing her affair with Will with his cheating. She gave his hand that was now just resting in her own a gentle squeeze.

"Guessing from what you just told me, I have a pretty good idea what is in here." his eyes wandered from her face to the envelope in his lap. His gaze returned to her eyes asking her silently if it was ok to open it now. She nodded, releasing his hand.

Peter reached inside the envelope again, retrieving the picture and the note. He shortly glanced at the photo before putting it back in the envelope. Then he picked up the note and took a deep breath while reading it several times.

"You want to drop out because of this, right?" Alicia saw the worry in his face while he still stared at the piece of paper in his hands. "Do you know who sent this?"

"Yes." Peter also put the note back into the envelope and returned his attention to Alicia.

"Kresteva showed up at my office last night with a stack of pictures and offered me he wouldn't leak them to the press if I dropped out. He gave me a week to announce." he heard Alicia gasp.

"There are more pictures?" her eyes widened in shock.

Peter just nodded.

"How many?" she asked in a low voice.

"Maybe ten. I have not counted them; I haven't looked at all of them. I do not even know if that one is among them." his eyes rested on the envelope again.

"Do you understand now why I chose not to tell you and why I have no other choice than to drop out?" he watched her with an earnest look in his eyes. "I won't have our family in the centre of another scandal, not if I can prevent it."

Alicia just nodded, her gaze on the floor again.

"Thank you, Peter, for protecting me and the kids. I felt so bad when I found this earlier and realized why you hadn't told me...and I have said those mean things to you. I am sorry for not trusting you like I should've." she finally looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears again.

"I understand." a small smile forming on his lips while he slowly sled an arm around her shoulders, his eyes asking for her permission to hold her.

Alicia let out at small sigh when she gladly put her head against his shoulder once more, her hands resting on his chest. They just sat there nestled against each other for a while. Alicia listening to Peters heartbeat while he tenderly stroked her hair and back over and over, placing light kisses on top of her head from time to time.

Alicia simply enjoyed the closeness and tried to remember the last time she had been truly happy just feeling his arms around her. She couldn't recall, but guessed it must have been before the scandal shattered their lives.

"I want to trust you again, Peter." Alicia finally broke the silence. "I really do...but I am still afraid as soon as I let you in again another affair of yours will surface and I can't go through that again." she whispered against his chest. "So, if there is anything you haven't told me, yet...now would be the time."

Peter had stopped his stroking movements, leaning back a bit so Alicia had to remove her head from his shoulder and sit up again. She looked up at his face but couldn't read his expressions. Alicia's stomach clenched as she watched him and she could feel her heart beat in her throat while she waited for Peter to start talking.

"You are right, it's truth time."

* * *

_Ok, you will probably feel the need to murder me in my sleep now. And I probably deserve it :P_

_Please review :)_


	4. The Truth

_So, I am still alive ;) Nobody tried to kill me, thankfully. Thanks again for the reviews. They keep me writing. :)_

_A heartfelt **THANK YOU** goes to Josie, who was my Alicia in this chapter and cheered me on from the sidelines :)_

_And another big thanks to Steffi for introducing me to the song that will end the chapter. :)_

_I do not own the song "Hurt Lovers" from Blue and I don't own the characters of The Good Wife._

_I just borrow them for fun ;)_

_This is dedicated to my A/P family; you know who you are :)_

* * *

Peter sensed that Alicia mentally braced herself for what he was about to tell her. He could see the apprehension in her eyes and knew she feared the worst.

"There is one thing I still haven't told you. And I know I have to come clean about everything, even if it means I have to admit another lie." he paused, watching Alicia who had leaned further away from him, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

Peter sighed deeply before he continued.

"What I have to tell you will certainly hurt you again and I might regret doing it, but you are right; I need to be honest with you, if I don't want to give up hope you'll someday be able to trust me again." he saw Alicia give the tiniest nod to what he said.

He could still see the worry in her face but took her nodding as agreement to his words.

"Before I go on, can I ask you something?" he observed her closely hoping she would agree to what he needed her approval for. He saw a shimmer of doubt in her eyes before she nodded her head again.

"I need you to believe me that what I am about to tell you is the last secret I kept from you, the final lie I told you. Do you think you can do that?" he studied her with anticipation, clearly seeing that she fought a battle with herself. It seemed like an eternity to Peter until she finally answered.

"I think I can do that, Peter." Alicia answered in a fragile voice.

"Ok..." Peter cleared his throat. He knew he had to do this, come clean about everything. He should have done this years ago. Along with telling her about Kalinda. But he had been too much of a coward. The thought crossed his mind that his relationship with Alicia could be totally different now, if he had brought himself to tell her the day she had told him in order to forgive him she needed to know everything she was forgiving him for. Back then, he had been too afraid she might come back to visit him in jail with the divorce papers drawn up. He realized he was still in danger of receiving those after he told Alicia what he had kept hidden from her. He bit his lower lip, exhaled deeply before he started talking.

"I can't think of a way to tell you this gently, if I could I would have told you long ago. So, I will just say it." he paused, looking at Alicia, who was no longer watching him, but had her gaze at the duvet, tracing the patterns with her index finger.

"I had Amber over to the house once...her and another prostitute. I had sex with both of them." he sighed deeply, somehow glad it was out and he finally got it off his chest.

Alicia's head jerked upwards again, just staring at him with an emptiness in her eyes.

"Did you...in this bed?" she leapt from the bed, retreating to the far corner of the bedroom, falling into the armchair that stood there.

"No!" Peter also stood up from the bed, following her and crouched down next to the armchair.

"It happened in the Jacuzzi...I would've never brought her to our bed." he insisted and reached for her hand but she withdrew it as soon as he touched her.

"Alicia, please..." before he could continue he felt her right hand slap him hard on the face and if he hadn't held on to the armrest he would have lost his balance and fallen to he floor. He steadied himself and looked at Alicia. Tears were streaming from her eyes again.

"I know, I should have confessed this ages ago, but I was too much of a cowardly bastard to tell you. So, I deserved that slap, just like I deserved that one back then. But now you know it all, Alicia. No more secrets, no more lies. I promise." again he reached out to hold her hand but she detracted it once more from his grasp.

He got up from his cowering position, sighing deeply walking back to the bed where he sat down again on the edge. He watched her, not sure what to do. He wished she would say something. He'd even prefer it if she started shouting at him than continuing with this deafening silence.

She sat crouched on the armchair, her legs pulled up against her chest, watching him walk away and sitting down on the bed through her tear clouded eyes.

She didn't know why she felt so hurt. Deep down she had always suspected that there still was something she did not know yet. And this had been the reason she wasn't able to trust him again. Strangely enough she knew that this really was the last piece of the puzzle, the missing information he had lied about. She watched him watch her and underneath the sadness she detected in his eyes she could see a glimpse of relief, like a weight had been lifted from him now that he had finally told her.

She took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to get her tears to stop. She realized it was not the fact he had slept with someone else beside Amber and Kalinda but that he had kept it that long from her.

"Why did you tell me now?" she whispered and when he didn't react immediately she thought he hadn't heard her and was just about to repeat her words when she saw him tilt his head towards her.

"I don't think we can go on without being totally honest with each other and as you came forward about your affair with Will...I felt like I owed it to you to finally tell you everything." his gaze was at her face and she suddenly felt the need to look away.

"I know it would've been easier to lie again, but I can't do that anymore. You really scared me earlier by telling me you would want to divorce me, if I didn't tell you the truth. And I really hope that you believe me when I say that I do not want to lose you! The months after you kicked me out were the hardest of my life, Alicia. Even harder than being in jail. And though I know I still do not have you back, certainly not the way I would want to, I can't lose you again." she looked up at him again and was astonished when she saw tears forming in his eyes. She sat up in the chair attempting to say something but stopped when Peter slightly shook his head.

"Please, let me finish." the first tear escaped in the corner of his eye and Alicia felt the strong urge to go over to him and just hug him, but she stayed where she was due to his request. His words had more impact on her than she cared to admit. She knew he felt that way about her and she had been grateful he had not pressured her for a decision since they started to sleep with each other again. That was one aspect she felt he had changed so much during the last years. He seemed to accept that wherever their relationship was going was her choice. If she only could make one.

She enjoyed spending time with Peter and it felt more comfortable than she had ever thought it would ever again. If she was honest with herself there were moments when she totally forgot that they were separated and those moments had increased over the last months. She wondered if it was time to just listen to her feelings and stop to decide everything with her head.

"I know you will probably not want to hear this, but I kept quiet for too long now, Alicia." Peter's softly spoken words tore her out of her musings.

"As much as I enjoy our new-found closeness.." he chuckled bitterly before continuing "...I will not be able to go on like this, just these stolen moments. I thought I could, telling myself I'd rather have a little bit of you than nothing at all. But I just realized that I can't. It might sound selfish, but I won't, at least not without some sort of commitment from you, that we will try. I know I just said that I can't lose you again and I'd prefer not to. But if you tell me that sex is all you'll ever be able to give me again then I can't stay in this. I need a little something, Alicia, that tells me you haven't given up on me and us and there is still hope that one day you will truly be my wife again in every meaning of that word."

This time she didn't hesitate and went over to the bed sitting down next to him.

"I think you are right, Peter." she reached for his hand and gave it a soft squeeze.

"We can not go on this way. It is not fair to you. I realized this now." Peter pulled his hand away from hers.

"I appreciate that you try to find a polite way to tell me you can't even think about what I just asked you. But it's ok, Alicia. I get it. No need to sugarcoat it." he got up from the bed and walked a few steps towards the door.

"Would you please let me finish Peter!" she called out gently. Alicia also stood and went after him, only stopping to stand directly behind him. Peter turned and they stood facing each other, both strangely aware of the sudden closeness. Peter sighed deeply and closed his eyes while nodding slightly, silently telling her to go on.

Alicia cleared her throat before she started to talk again, suddenly feeling rather nervous.

"I don't want to go on like this. But as I said my fear keeps me from trusting you completely again." she looked up at Peter who still had his eyes closed, frozen to his spot.

"But I will not let my life be controlled by this fear any longer. It keeps me from being happy again and I've been happy with you during the last months." a small smile appeared on her lips and Peter choose exactly this moment to open his eyes. Alicia saw a glimpse of hope, before the doubt clouded them again.

"I want to trust you again and get rid of that fear, Peter. You have no idea how often this fear pulled me from your arms while my heart told me to stay. And I want to start to trust my heart more and stay right here." she put her arms around Peter and closed the little distance that still kept them from each other. Alicia felt Peters arms closing in around her, hesitantly at first, but when he realized she would not break off the embrace he pulled her even closer, letting out a sigh of relief. They just stood like this for a small eternity, before Alicia slowly leaned back in his embrace to look at his face.

"I still have to tell you something, though." she flashed him a small, reassuring smile when she saw his eyes darken with doubt again.

"You said it is truth time and I know we still have a lot of talking ahead of us to make us work again, but I need to tell you this now." she loosened her arms around him, but took both of his hands in hers, interlacing their fingers and never breaking eye contact with Peter.

"It's something about my affair with Will..." she started after a light nod from Peter told her it was ok to go on. "...and looking back at it I am not proud of it." she lowered her gaze to Peters chest while she continued.

"I did what I was always afraid you had done with Amber and what I suspected you of again earlier." she turned her head towards the bed, Peter following her gaze.

"Ok, Alicia, I get it. It's ok." he released his right hand from hers, softly touching her cheek to turn her face towards him again. Once more he saw tears form in her eyes.

"But don't you think that makes me a hypocrite?" she still wasn't looking at him.

"No, Alicia. Again, I will not judge what you did after we separated and I will never compare it to my unfaithfulness." he wiped away one tear that escaped from the corner of her eye. Alicia finally locked eyes with him again, her face lighting up in a small smile.

"We both did things that we regret and that hurt the other one. Let's try not to do it again, ok?" Peter smiled back at her.

Alicia nodded and put her head on his shoulder, letting her arms slide around him for another embrace.

They both knew what lay ahead of them would not be easy but they would face it together.

_When the words that you wanted to say_

_Are all coming out wrong_

_When you burst into tears_

_Though you're trying so hard to be strong_

_We're standing in_

_the line of fire_

_Tryin' to make two wrongs a right_

_Hurt Lovers, hurt-hurt Lovers, oh_

_Don't give up, don't-don't give up, no_

_Take cover_

_You can't just let it go_

_We gotta try_

_Whatever comes_

_It's not the end_

_We gotta fight_

_And take a stand_

* * *

_I decided to end this chapter with lyrics from the song "Hurt Lovers" from the band Blue, because this is my A/P song at the moment and it spans a perfect bridge to my next chapter :)_

_A link to the video on YT can be found on my profile page._

_Please review :)_


	5. The Plan

So, here it finally is. The next chapter.

I thought a lot about if I should include the Alicia/Will kiss from 4x14 and finally decided against it, although I have included other facts from that episode, that fitted into the story how I had it already in my head before the episode aired. The kiss just didn't fit.

I also included something that Josie found in the original pilot script online. The quote of that can be found at the end of the chapter.

Again my thanks go to Josie for her never ending input and help :)

This is again for my A/P girls :) Remember, she loves him :D

Again I don't own The Good Wife or 'Hurt Lovers' by Blue

* * *

_So when all that you ever believe_

_Comes apart at the seams_

_And when all of the bridges you built_

_Are washed away in a stream_

_Whatever comes_

_It's not the end_

_We gotta fight_

_And take a stand_

_We're standing in_

_the line of fire_

_Tryin' to make two wrongs a right_

_Hurt Lovers, hurt so bad again_

_Find something, to make things right again_

_It don't matter who wins out in the end_

_You gotta try_

* * *

_Can I really do this?_

Alicia let out a heavy sigh, closing her eyes briefly before concentrating again on the road. She couldn't believe what had happened in the last few days. She shook her head lightly in disbelief, reminding herself it had only been days and not weeks. She felt a little like back when the scandal around Peter was revealed; hurt, shocked, not quite realizing what was happening. But something was quite different this time. She didn't feel as helpless and alone as she had felt when her world had crashed down around her the last time. She had the advantage of knowing what was going on now, making her able to act not just react. And she was about to do just that.

She was on her way to see Peter, telling him what she was planning to do. She knew he would try to keep her from doing it, but she somehow deep down felt certain this was what she had to do. She was tired of other people deciding her life for her. It was about time she started doing so herself. And she really hoped she could convince Peter it was the right thing to do. She felt suddenly short of breath as she imagined going on without him. There had been a time, not so long ago, when she had believed she was able to live her life without him. Now that thought alone scared her. Once again he was the only constant in her life, the one who stood by her after all the other ones, she had placed her trust in, had disappointed her.

It had hurt her to learn she had been offered partnership not because she was good and deserved it, but simply because the firm could use the money she had to provide to get the partnership. She had felt reduced to a number and was about to decline the offer, but Diane's words had made her rethink that again. How stupid had she been. She laughed bitterly about herself when she thought back of David Lee's words telling her they had postponed their offer on partnership. Again she was only a number for them, but this time one that would cost them. They had been happy to accept her money when it served their goal to beat bankruptcy. But now, after that was accomplished they refused to share the profits. That had been the first time she thought she had to act on her own. And so she had agreed on Cary's idea to scare the partners a bit. And to her surprise it had worked, they had got them worried and forced them to make a decision. A decision she despised them for. By offering her the partnership once more they had only thought of their advantage again. Picking her alone out of the 4th year-associates to make partner should have been a credit to her achievements and hard work over the last years. But again she had been reduced to something else, not money this time, but prestige.

She had been struck by David's bluntness when she had asked why her alone had been offered partnership again. _We think your husband's gonna be governor!_ He had not even tried to conceal the real reason why they had picked her. And that had made Will's words about her deserving it because she was good even more hollow.

All this combined had let her to her decision. She just wasn't 100% sure she could really see it through.

She finally had arrived at the house and made her way to the entrance. She had called him earlier, so he was expecting her. She didn't bother knocking, just walked trough the unlocked door. She called out Peter's name and hung her coat.

"In here!" his response came from the living room.

She followed his voice and stepped from the hall into the adjacent room.

He stood from the couch and came towards her. She saw a flicker of insecurity in his eyes, as if he was still not sure how to act around her, if the rules she had set when they started having sex again still applied.

She quickly closed the distance between them, smiling brightly at him, placing a tender kiss on his lips. She felt his arms slide around her waist, pulling her closer and a small sigh of relief escaped her when her head came to rest on his shoulder after they had broken the kiss.

"Are you alright?" she could hear the concern in his voice.

"Yes,...no,...I don't know..." she wished he had not yet asked her how she was doing. She had hoped to just stay in his arms a little longer, enjoying a moment of normalcy in all this craziness. So she reluctantly loosened the embrace when he gently pushed her a bit backwards to be able to look at her.

"What is going on, Alicia?" he looked her directly in the eyes and it felt as if he could read her like an open book. She stepped back and walked over to the couch, sitting down indicating to Peter to do the same.

"You know I've been offered to become partner again." she started while he sat down next to her.

"Yes, and I already wrote you the cheque for your capital contribution. It is in my study on the desk." he nodded, smiling at her and she could see the pride he felt for her in his eyes.

"About that..." she cleared her throat. "Would you still front me the money if I would refuse the partnership and open up my own firm?" she kept her gaze on his face and saw the smile fade slowly, his eyes watching her in disbelief.

"What?" he shook his head. "Why would you want to do this?"

"Because I have enough of being a pawn in their game, only being appreciated when they need me. First for the money they were desperate for to save the firm and now for the prestige I could add as they think you will become governor. And what upsets me the most is that they couldn't be honest with me about their reasons. At least Diane and Will weren't. They still make it look like they want me as partner for my work and not because it suits their agenda." she realized her voice had gotten louder and she felt rather angry. She took a deep breath to calm herself and studied Peter's face. He had been quietly listening and she had no idea what he was thinking.

"You think I am overreacting?" she asked him in a low voice, searching his face for an answer.

"I can't tell you how you should feel about this, Alicia." he looked straight into her eyes, pausing before he continued.

"But I can tell you that I will stand behind any decision you will make. That cheque is yours. Take it to become partner at Lockhart/Gardner or use it to open up your own firm. Both is fine by me. But please don't consider to quit altogether. You are too good for that." he smiled at her and she released the breath she had held while he talked, a wave of relief washing over her.

"Thank you, Peter. That really means a lot to me." she smiled back at him and found his hand, squeezing it slightly.

"But this has nothing to do with Will, does it?" his gaze became more serious again.

"No!" her answer came without any hesitation and she saw him relax again.

"Actually this was Cary's idea. He suggested we should open up a firm together. I turned him down at first, but now I really think he's right."

"Cary and you as a team? You'll be tough to beat in the future. You both have insider knowledge." Peter chuckled. "Something to look forward to now that I am going to stay State's attorney."

"About that..." Alicia cleared her throat, suddenly feeling rather nervous.

"Did you make any more life changing decisions?" there was still humor in Peter's voice but she knew that would be wiped away by what she was about to suggest to him.

"No, not yet." she blinked nervously when she saw the smile leave his eyes, his gaze watching her curiously.

"I don't want you to give in to Kresteva's threat. I want you to stay in the race for governor." she spoke fast, worried the courage would leave her. She heard Peter gasp at her words, his expression one of pure shock.

"No." he nearly shouted the word at her. "That is a non-negotiable, Alicia." he shook his head at her, his voice at a normal volume again.

"But, Peter...at least listen to me..." Alicia started, but he cut her off.

"No! How can you even think that?" he stood from the couch, walking over to the window. She could see his reflection in the glass, a desperate expression on his face.

"I will not let you go through this again. Never!" his voice was barely a whisper now but she could hear the determination in it. He still faced the window, eyes closed.

Alicia stood up from the couch and walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. She could feel him slightly wince at her touch not having realized she stood behind him.

"Peter, please. Hear me out." she said softly.

She felt him shrug slightly, her hand still on his shoulder. She took it as permission to go on. She watched his features closely, his eyes still closed.

"Back then, when the scandal came out, I made a vow to myself." she paused, sighing deeply, letting her hand slide down Peter's arm taking his hand in hers.

"I promised myself, if I had to ever go through something like this again, it will be my own doing, not because somebody else made the mistake. And this I did myself, Peter. Let me make it right again." she squeezed his hand and let her forehead rest against his shoulder.

They stood like this for a small eternity. Peter still had his eyes closed, his brain playing Alicia's words on repeat. Once again it hit him how deeply he had hurt her and he still had difficulty wrapping his brain around the fact she was really giving him a second chance. But he couldn't let her do what she had just told him. He felt her hand in his and started stroking it with his thumb slowly.

"So, Will was a mistake?" he finally opened his eyes and turned towards Alicia, forcing her to detach her head from his shoulder and look at him.

"Yes, in a way, he was." he saw her look down towards their joined hands.

"But he and what I had with him belong into the past. And to keep it there I can't go on with the fear haunting me that these pictures will get out someday. Because how do we know that Kresteva won't give them to someone else who will use them in the future. We can end this now, Peter." she looked straight into his eyes and he had to admit there was some truth in her words.

"You're right. But don't you think that is a small price to pay compared to what we are facing by allowing them to go public now. Think about the kids, Alicia." he reached for her other hand, frowning at the thought alone his kids would see these pictures.

"It won't be easy talking to them, Peter. Not for them and not for us. But we'll have the advantage of telling them beforehand and not risk they'll see them by chance without an explanation. We can act before Kresteva leaks them to the press and won't be forced to just react if they surface anytime in the future." she let go of his hands and slid her arms around him, resting her head against his chest.

Peter returned the embrace, releasing a heavy breath. He couldn't help to see the logic in what Alicia had said, but he still felt uncomfortable and wished she had never come up with it.

"Is there anything I can say or do to keep you from making this sacrifice? You don't have to do this. And I hate the thought you might regret it someday, because you think you had to do this for me." he stroked her back in small circles and placed a kiss on her hair.

"I'm not doing this just for you, Peter. I do it because it is the right thing to do for me to put the past behind us and start anew." she looked up into his face and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, which eventually put a small smile on his lips.

"But you can do one thing, Peter." she still had her gaze on his eyes. "Stand by me, like I stood by you and help me, help us, through this. Will you do this?"

"Of course, I will, Babe." Peter pulled her closer and placed another kiss on her forehead. She smiled at him and he could see a mixture of relief, happiness and love in her eyes. But also a glimpse of fear. He was sure that same fear was visible in his own eyes right now, but he pushed that thought away and returned the smile.

"Ok, let's call Eli!" she left his arms, walking over to retrieve the phone from the coffee table.

"Yes, let's call Eli."

* * *

Please leave a review :)

Quote from the original pilot script:

_'No, Jackie. I woke up, and I'm not _

_going back to sleep. If I ever _

_have to go through something like _

_that again, I want it to be because _

_of something I did. I'm not going _

_to live or die by someone else's _

_mistakes.'_

_The script can be found here: tv-shows/the-good-wife-2009/scripts/the-good-wife- script-plot_


	6. The Resignation

Sorry it took so long to update this :(

This chapter was really hard for me...that's what you get when you listen to what your readers want :D ;)

This one is for Josie, Mary and Randi. Thanks for your help, ladies. It is much appreciated :)

Once again, I do not own the characters of The Good Wife. I just like to play with them :P

* * *

Alicia lay in Peters bed suddenly wide awake again. Eli and Peter had sent her upstairs about an hour ago, because she could not keep her eyes open anymore. So they insisted she should go to sleep. She had felt exhausted, the last days had drained her and she knew the worst part was still to come. Telling her kids what was going on. Suddenly she no longer felt so good about her decision to come clean about everything. But the rational side of her brain told her it was the only chance on a clean slate and going on with her life afterwards without constantly being afraid that someone else would leak those photos. She sighed and stared at the ceiling. Her mind was racing and suddenly she remembered that she hadn't told her kids where she was. She glanced over to the alarm clock on the nightstand. 2am, too late to call them. She turned to her side facing the window watching the clouds travel fast before the black sky. She hoped the image would lull her to sleep, but a few minutes later she was still awake. She rolled on to her back again when she heard the door being opened slowly. Peter walked quietly into the room stopping briefly at the cabinet to retrieve some clothes to sleep in before walking into the bathroom. She sat up a bit waiting for him to get back in to the room. After a few minutes the door was opened slowly again and Peter walked silently towards the bed. When he looked up he saw her watching him.

"Did I wake you?" he asked in an apologetic voice while he climbed in to the bed next to her.

She shook her head, a small smile on her face. "Is Eli gone?"

"Yes, but I doubt he went home. I think he drove to the office to continue." Peter shrugged his shoulders and repressed a yawn, sliding deeper under the covers.

"Why are you not asleep?" he placed a hand on her shoulder stroking her lightly through the fabric of one of his shirts, she had put on to sleep in. She saw his lips curl up into a small smile. She scooted down from her sitting position, resting her head on his shoulder while he slid his arm around her, pulling her closer.

"Too much going through my mind, I guess." she whispered against his chest.

"If you're having second thoughts about this...It's not to late to stop it. You know I would still drop out to protect you and the kids from this, babe." he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead but she shook her head lightly against his shoulder.

"No, we are going through with this. I don't want to spend the rest of my life peering constantly over my shoulder." she exhaled deeply. "I'm just not looking forward to tell the kids about it tomorrow."

"I know." he found her hand that was resting on his stomach and squeezed it reassuringly.

She finally felt her mind and body relax. She didn't know why he had this effect on her, but she felt like she could leave everything that bothered her behind when she was in his arms. She just enjoyed listening to Peter's even breathing and feeling his fingertips drawing lazy circles on her back. It felt so familiar and yet so new. She realized this would be the second time they spent the night together in the same bed. A few days back after their big truth talk they had fallen asleep in their clothes and had just woken up in time for Peter to leave before the kids got up. She smiled at the memory and lifted her head from his shoulder, shifting a bit upwards so she could look into his face. He opened his eyes, looking at her smiling. He started to talk but Alicia silenced him by putting her index finger over his mouth. She watched his eyes, that mirrored all the emotions she felt. Worry, fear, uncertainty but underneath all this love. The love that had stayed with them through all that had happened in the last few years. There had been times when she'd thought she had lost it but she was glad she hadn't and she was still able to see it in Peter's eyes as well.

"I love you." she smiled at him and saw the surprise and relief in his face. She knew he had longed for her to say these words to him, but she had not been ready to say them until right now. She leaned forward, removing her finger from his lips to kiss him. Gentle at first but after a few seconds the kiss deepened and she felt Peter's hands slide under her shirt, caressing her bare skin. She moaned into the kiss and broke it off, both panting for air. Alicia turned on to her back pulling Peter with her. He started trailing tender kisses from her forehead down her cheek until he found her lips again and sealed them with a soft kiss before continuing his trail down her neck. She softly cupped his face in both of her hands making him look at her.

"Please make love to me, Peter."

* * *

Zach sat at the dining room table in their apartment and looked around at his family. His sister was sitting next to him as clueless as he himself was about the reason their parents had called this family meeting. He couldn't recall the last time they had one of those with all four of them present. Not since they had moved and his Dad went to prison. He remembered some talks with his sister and his mother, especially the one where she had told them she had separated from their Dad. Something like this went through his mind now, too. The fact that both of their parents were here couldn't mean something good. The word divorce shot through his brain and he hoped he was wrong. His sister had just mentioned a few days earlier that their parents seemed to get along better and she even hoped they would get back together. He knew that Grace would be more affected if they finally divorced, but he had to admit that he didn't like the thought either.

The whole morning had been rather strange. They had woken up and found their mother had not spent the night at the apartment without calling and telling where she was or sending their uncle Owen over to babysit them. They had just started breakfast and making jokes that maybe Alicia had finally acknowledged the fact they weren't toddlers anymore and capable of spending a night unsupervised when she entered the apartment. Grace had walked to the door greeting their mother when their Dad also stepped into the apartment. He had known from that moment on that something was not as it should be. Grace had offered some of the waffles they had made for breakfast, but both of their parents had declined. Oddly neither Grace nor him had asked where they came from together on a Saturday morning. They simply had helped themselves to some coffee and said they had something to tell them. So here they were sitting at the table for a few minutes now in silence. He observed the nervous looks his parents gave each other. It seemed like they didn't know how to start. Suddenly Grace broke the silence.

"Are you going to get a divorce?" she looked from Alicia to Peter and finally towards him, her eyes asking him for back up.

Zach watched his parents who looked surprised by Grace's question.

"No, Grace, we are not getting a divorce." his father answered before he could say anything. Zach heard Grace exhale and she smiled at their Dad.

"Actually we are back together." he smiled towards Alicia who returned the smile and put her hand on top of his, that was laying on the table.

"Really?!" Grace beamed at their parents, jumped from her chair and went over to hug them.

Zach just smiled at them and felt relieved. But he couldn't shake the feeling that this was not all they were about to learn today. He waited until his sister had resumed her seat before he spoke.

"But this is not all you came to tell us, right?" his gaze wandered from his father to his mother, their expressions getting serious again.

"No, Zach. There is more." this time his mother spoke and he could see in her eyes that she wished she didn't have to tell them.

A few minutes later Zach knew why this conversation had been so hard on their Mom. He and Grace had always suspected that there had been more than friendship between their mother and her boss. But hearing it was true and that his fathers opponent in the gubernatorial race wanted to use the knowledge of this affair to force him to drop out was difficult to stomach.

Grace and him had listened silently to their parents while they explained what they had decided to do about it. Zach thought that the plan was nearly as crazy as the situation in itself, but he hesitated to say it. Grace was the first to find her voice again.

"But why, Mom?" she swallowed hard and Zach saw that she had trouble holding back on the tears he could already hear in her voice.

"Why do you want us to go through something similar like we already had to with Dad's scandal?" finally the tears started to stream down her face and she looked desperately at their parents. His mother rose from her chair and knelt beside Grace, pulling her into a hug.

"I know, Grace. And I am sorry for putting you through all this, but I see no other chance to go on from here without telling the truth." Alicia leaned back and looked her daughter in the face while grabbing both of her hands.

"I really hope you can forgive me that, Grace. And you, too, Zach." her gaze wandered to him and he could see the sadness in his Mom's eyes. He smiled weakly at her, telling her silently that he understood.

"Your Dad made mistakes in the past and he paid for them by going to prison. I also made a mistake and I have to make it right again, so we all can leave this past behind us." Alicia got up from her crouched position. His father also rose from his chair walking over to Grace and Alicia.

"The following weeks will be hard on us all. But we will face them as a family. And we want you to know that we will always be there for you." Peter put one of his arms around Alicia's shoulder and pulled Grace in an embrace with his other. Grace buried her face on her fathers chest, still crying but nodding her head.

"Are you ok, Zach?" his mother looked towards him, tears running down her face now as well.

He stood up and walked over to his family, joining in the hug.

"Yeah, I am good. And I understand your reasons, Mom." he smiled at his mother.

"And I will be there for you and support your decision." he looked at his Dad, who nodded at him, also smiling.

* * *

Later that day Eli showed up and Alicia and Peter spent most of the afternoon going over the preparations for Mondays announcement. They were in the middle of discussing some details when a beep from Alicia's cell interrupted them. Alicia reached for the phone and read the text that had just arrived.

"Damn." she tossed it back on the table and leaned back in her chair groaning quietly.

"What's the matter?" Eli asked, rising an eyebrow at her.

"Will asking about my capital contribution cheque." she exhaled sharply. "I need to tell him that I am quitting. He needs to know before Monday. This..." she gestured to all the papers laying on the table before her "...involves him, too."

"I can call him now and tell him what he needs to know." Eli offered quickly.

"No, I have to do this myself." Alicia watched Peter's expression. He slowly nodded his head.

"Yes, you are right, Alicia. You need to tell him yourself." he smiled at her and she was thankful he understood that she had to do this in person.

Later that evening Alicia and Peter stood in the elevator going up towards the L/G offices. They had decided to drive by so Alicia could put her resignation on Diane's and Will's desks and collect her things from the office. Afterwards she would stop by Will's apartment to explain the situation to him while Peter took care of some things at his office.

Although chances were slim to run into anyone at this hour on a saturday, Alicia felt nervous and realized this might be the last time she set a foot into these offices. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes when she felt Peters hand reach for hers. She opened her eyes and flashed him a small, grateful smile.

"I know this is not easy." he returned her smile and squeezed her hand.

A few seconds later the elevator came to a halt, the doors opened and they stepped in to the deserted lobby.

"What first?" Peter asked her.

"Let's put these on Diane's and Will's desks." Alicia held up the two envelopes with her resignation and some personal words she had written for them both.

Peter nodded in agreement and they walked towards the name partners offices still holding hands.

Suddenly Alicia stopped in the middle of the hallway. Peter looked at her confused.

"There is light in Will's office." she motioned towards a glass wall on the right. The blinds were partly shut and beams of light shone through it.

"Go, I'll pack up your things in the meantime." Peter nodded towards the open door of Will's office and smiled at her reassuringly.

"Ok." she exhaled deeply and placed a brief kiss on his cheek.

"Hi, Alicia, Peter!" Will's voice startled them both. They turned and saw him standing in the door.

"Hi, Will!" Alicia gave Peter one last glance, telling him silently that she was ok, before she faced Will, letting go of Peter's hand slowly.

"You didn't have to come in today to bring the cheque, Alicia." Will stepped aside to let her walk through the door in to his office, eyeing her inquiringly. "Monday would have been early enough. You wanna sit down?" he motioned towards the couch under the window.

"No." Alicia shook her head. "I'll make this brief, Will." she handed him one of the envelopes. "I am not taking the offer for partnership. This is my resignation."

"What?" Will blinked twice and looked at her in surprise. "You don't have to resign if you don't want the partnership, Alicia. I really don't understand?" he threw the baseball he was holding absent-minded from his one hand to the other.

"I know I don't need to, but I want to, Will. And you'll be glad I am doing it once you know what I came to tell you."

"Ok, I'm listening." he looked at her, a mixture of curiosity and worry in his face.

"Someone found out about our affair." she looked out the window in to the night-time sky and heard Will inhale sharply.

"Are you sure this time?" he continued playing with the baseball in his hands.

"Yes, there are explicit pictures of us in a hotel room." she glanced at him and saw his eyes widen in shock.

"They will release the pictures if Peter doesn't drop out of the race for governor."

"And you're taking the fall for him a second time, Alicia?" his voice got louder and he looked at her angry.

"No, he was ready to quit to protect me but I won't let him. I want to come clean about this, Will. And I know you might not understand my reasons but I have to do this."

"Then test me. Explain to me why you'll be willing to throw your career away to save his ass again." he let himself fall in the armchair and looked at her challengingly.

Alicia exhaled slowly.

"I am not doing this to save Peter or to protect my kids from the truth, but for myself, Will. I need to be able to look in the mirror and live with myself. I won't be able to do this if I let Peter sacrifice his ambitions for a mistake that I made. I would risk he'd end up hating me one time and my kids might too if they ever learn I protected you instead of their father." she looked at Will and still saw anger in his eyes.

"See, you said it yourself, you are protecting Peter and not yourself. And calling what we had a mistake. That is not you talking here, Alicia."

"You don't get it, Will. Maybe you can't understand because you don't have a family. They are what's most important to me. I can't risk that my kids learn about this and see these pictures without me being able to tell them before. I wouldn't be able to live like this. Always glancing over my shoulder, afraid of what might happen. The last days made me realize that I want my family back, including Peter. And I can't start anew with them if my past keeps haunting us." she shook her head slightly.

"And in hindsight our affair was a mistake for me. You always were the road not taken, Will. But I should've seen that we would've never worked. Not in broad daylight. I am sorry for never telling you this before."

"So, basically I was just your rebound before you were able to fall back in Peter's arms. I helped you and gave you a job, Alicia. A job you are willing to throw away now for him. Why?" he rose from his chair and walked towards her a bitter expression on his face. She backed away a few steps.

"Do you really think it would be a good idea to stay here after it is public knowledge that we slept together? You are my boss, Will. If I stayed it would look even worse."

She was looking straight in to his eyes now.

"And I don't think you gave me the partnership offer only because you think I deserved it most, but I could serve your agenda to add more prestige to the firm, by making the wife of the possible future governor a partner. I am sick and tired to be used like a puppet just because of my last name." she had nearly shouted the last words at Will, because she still felt so angry about this. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

"I am sorry you see it that way, Alicia." he shrugged his shoulders. "You despise us for using your name but you are willing to let Peter use you for his campaign. Where is the difference?"

"Because I told him it was ok to use me, Will."

"You are right. I don't get it. None of it." he shook his head, looking towards the floor.

"You never gave me a real chance, Alicia. You never really let me in your life." he lifted his head, a sad glimmer in his eyes.

"Yes, looking back I should've never started something with you. But I wanted to know if I had made the right decision back then in choosing Peter over you. And I did, Will. I loved him back then and despite all he did to me I still do today. I am sorry, if that hurts you, but I have to be honest with myself here and with you. We were never meant to be more than friends. And I hope we can be that again some day." she flashed him a small smile.

She saw a movement in the corner of her eye. She turned her head and saw Peter appearing in the doorway.

"Maybe one day you'll understand me and be able to forgive me. Goodbye, Will." she turned and walked towards Peter and left the office with him, not looking back.


	7. The New Beginning

It's done. The end of a journey. And I say good bye to a story that I loved to hate sometimes ;)

This chapter is dedicated to Mary! And I know you will say that you didn't do anything, but you kicked my butt and helped me tons with it :) THANK YOU!

The parts of the closings are borrowed from Boston Legal as homage to one of my fave series :)

I neither own The Good Wife nor Boston Legal. I just like to play ;)

Thanks for your patience with this and for your reviews. They keep me going. :)

Enjoy :D

* * *

Alicia rushed through the courthouse, slowing when she finally reached the door to the courtroom. She was late because her deposition had run longer than anticipated. She took a deep breath and straightened her clothes before she quietly opened the door and snuck in to sit down in the last row of the audience.

She glanced towards the front area and her gaze stopped at Will's back who was just getting up from the defendants table. It seemed she had made it in time for closing arguments. She watched him face the jury and starting to talk.

"Ned Hayden killed his wife. He's serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Justice has been served..."

It had been five months since she had last seen him. The day she handed him her resignation. She closed her eyes when her mind wandered back to the days that had followed. Their announcement had caused quite a stir but it had not been as bad as Alicia had feared. The newspapers had been full of it, of course and even some of the pictures of Will and her had found their way into the tabloids but thanks to Eli it had not been the worst of them. She silently thanked him once more for the support he had given her and all of her family during that time. He had also come up with the idea for all of them to leave the city for some days after the announcement. She was glad they had followed that advice and had spent a few days far away from the prying eyes of the Chicago journalists in a mountain cabin in Canada that belonged to a friend of Eli. And though they had the kids with them, she and Peter had managed to do some talking and even made a few decisions regarding their future together. One of the biggest decisions they came up with was that they agreed to move in back together. They also settled on that they would sell their old house and look for a new one as soon as everything had gone back to normal. Their new beginning, as they called it. And Alicia was looking forward to it as they finally had charged a real estate agent with finding some places for them to look at next week.

Once they were back from the cabin the press attention hit them again but most of it was concentrated on Peter as he continued the campaign and she busied herself with planning the new firm with Cary. She knew that during that time Peter and Eli shielded a lot from her what was going on in the press and with the campaign. So Peter's defeat at election night had come as a surprise to her. It had been close, but Kresteva walked away the winner. At first she was upset about Peter keeping the fact from her that he had been behind in the polls, but then she realized that she had preferred it to be left alone from all the campaign stuff. She participated in the necessary events, but the rest of the time she put all her energy into the new firm. After the results came in she felt bad and felt the need to apologize to Peter for not being more involved.

_She found him on the balcony of the suite watching the illuminated skyline, deeply immersed in his thoughts as it seemed to her. She lightly touched his shoulder to draw his attention. His head turned and he smiled at her._

_"Hey, babe!" he pulled her into an embrace so her back was resting at his chest while his arms encircled her waist._

_"I am sorry." she whispered while searching for his hand that rested on her stomach, interlacing their fingers._

_"Why didn't you tell me you were behind in the polls?" she turned her head to look at him. He just smiled at her and placed a kiss on her temple. She felt him shake his head slightly._

_"It's okay. It really is." he placed another kiss on her hair and she leaned further back into his embrace._

_"You had enough on your plate with the new firm and all. I really didn't want to burden you with bad news on top of that. You forfeited enough already. So I tried to shield you from all that." he squeezed her hand softly._

_"Thank you for letting me concentrate on the new firm." she let go of his hands and turned within his arms to place a tender kiss on his lips._

_"But you know that I'd been there if you told me about it, right?" she looked up into his eyes._

_"Yes, and that's all that matters to me." he leaned in to brush her lips gently before pulling her close to his chest._

_They stood like this for a while before Peter spoke again._

_"I decided something before you came out here." he loosened his arms around her so she could look at him, a curious glimmer in her eyes._

_"I will resign as State's Attorney. I need to do something else with my life." he answered her unspoken question._

_She nodded briefly, staring at her hands resting on Peter's chest._

_"Join us, me and Cary, at the new firm." she looked up at him again not really sure if she really meant what she had just proposed._

_"What?!" Peter watched her surprised._

_She thought about it for a couple of seconds and this idea made more and more sense to her._

_"Yes, we could need you. We can only profit from your experience." she smiled at him convincingly._

_"But this is your firm, your idea. I wouldn't want to interfere with that. And I doubt Cary and the others would be okay with that." he shook his had lightly. __"I appreciate the offer but you certainly don't need me, Alicia. You're better than I ever was."_

_"Well, that might be right." she teased him and earned a small chuckle from him._

_"But think about it, Peter. It could be like we thought back before we got married and dreamed of having our own firm one day."_

_"Yes, I remember. That dream we had before our life happened." he smiled at her sadly and she could still see the regret in his eyes for the mess he had turned their life into._

_"Just think about it." she cupped his cheek in her hand and smiled at him._

_"Okay, I will think about it." he flashed her a half-smile and pulled her closer again._

They didn't come to a decision that night but Peter really thought about it and after Alicia had talked with Cary and the other associates they agreed Peter would join them at the new firm.

"... And you're opening a Pandora's box of lawsuits. Not just against HMO's, but against all internet businesses. And who will ultimately end up paying for that? You know. It's you."

Wills last words of his closing brought her back to the present. She watched him walk back to his seat and their eyes met for a brief moment before Will turned and sat down.

She glanced over to the plaintiff's table and saw Peter rise from his chair. It was his first trial since he had stepped down as SA and he had been quite nervous the days before. She had promised him to be there yesterday when the trial started but her own trial had gone way longer than she had thought and she had missed his first day back in court. So she was glad she at least had made it in time for the closings. Peter walked over to the jury, glanced over the gallery and locked eyes with her. She smiled at him encouraging and he smiled briefly back at her before focusing on the jury and beginning with his closing.

"When I was eleven years old there came a time when the temptation to explore the more secretive recesses of my older sister's life became more than I could resist. I started by poking around in her room. I ended by reading her diary. My defense, she kept it right out in the open, under her mattress. And the little metal clasp on it was simply no match for the paperclip and the screwdriver. I was eventually caught, prompting my sister to have a lock installed on her door. The only consequence of the invasion of my sister's privacy was the temporary loss of her confidence and trust. The invasion of Jane Hayden's privacy led to her being stabbed and left to bleed to death in the street..."

She watched the jury react to Peter's words which she knew by heart. And with each word she saw him relax more and enjoy it. She observed how the jury nodded at his words and how he seemed to bring them over to his clients side. It reminded her how she had first laid eyes on him. Back in her first year at law school when her class had attended a real trial for observation. Peter had been the defendant's attorney back then. It had only been a robbery that his client was accused of but she was excited to watch him give his best for his client though it was obvious from the prosecutions evidence he had committed this crime. She had been so impressed by his appearance that she stayed behind after the trial was finished to talk to him. They chatted for a short while and he even gave her his card if she ever needed help with anything. She thanked him and said good bye not sure if he really meant it. So the card went into her desk drawer and she totally forgot about it until she ran into him at a coffee shop downtown. They started talking and found that beside the law they had other things in common as well. He had walked her home to her dorm and asked if he could see her again. Alicia smiled at the memory as it had lead her to this very point and she couldn't imagine wanting to be someplace else.

"...And now she's dead. Well Benefits made it easy for Ned Hayden to find his wife. As easy as looking under a mattress."

Peter had finished his closing and walked back to his seat, winking at her. She remained in her seat until the trial was over and walked slowly towards the front of the room. Will just nodded at her in passing. She hadn't expected otherwise. She knew he was still hurt about her leaving and surely pissed that Cary and her had taken some of the biggest clients with them, including Eli.

"Hey!" Peter greeted her while he packed his files.

"So, how was I?" Peter asked her while they were walking outside together.

"Well, how should I put it? There is always room for improvement, Mr. Florrick." she said in a severe tone.

Peter came to a halt outside the courtroom.

"But you said the closing was good when I showed it to you." he looked at her concerned.

Alicia would have loved to play this little game for a while longer but she simply burst out in laughter with the disturbed look he gave her.

"You were great, Peter." she managed to say while trying to compose herself but the doubt on his face made it difficult for her to stop laughing.

"Alicia, please! Calm down. Was it so bad?" he asked her insecure.

She had finally managed to still the laughter and smiled at him.

"No, Peter. As I said you were great. I loved the closing and you had the jury eating out of your hand during it. It was just like back then when we first met. You have not forgotten a thing." she leaned in and kissed him briefly on the lips.

"Ok, I'll believe you for now. But I will surely get a second opinion." he teased her already a mischievous twinkle in his eyes again.

"You can get your second opinion when your jury comes back. I have no doubt they will be in favor of your client." she smirked at him while they walked towards the exit.

"Are you done for today or do you need to get back to the office?" he asked her while they stepped outside.

"No, I'm done. Meet you at home?" she told him as her phone started ringing.

"Florrick." she answered and gestured Peter to wait.

"Already?...But we thought...No, I am at the courthouse...Ok, see you in a bit!" she finished the phone call and sighed.

"That was Cary. Our jury is already back. The judge wants to have the verdict read by today. So he summoned us in an hour. You don't have to wait, Peter."

Peter nodded before he leaned in to kiss her good bye and walked to his car while Alicia headed inside the court house again.

* * *

It was several hours later when she finally walked in the door. The first floor was bathed in darkness aside from a small table lamp in the hallway next to the stairs. She checked her watch and inhaled sharply when she saw it was nearly midnight. They had lost their case and went back to the office after the verdict to prepare the first steps for the appeal. And so once again she had not seen her kids aside from the few minutes at breakfast before Peter and her hurried out the door. The kids were on vacation at the moment and Alicia wondered for a while now if they could spend some days together before Zach left for college in a few weeks. Her heart clenched at the thought that Zach would not be here every day in a short time when she walked up the stairs. She still saw light under the bedroom door and was happy that Peter was still awake. But when she opened the door the room was deserted, just both bedside lamps were on. Then she heard the water running in the adjacent bathroom. She got rid of her heels and opened the door while unzipping her skirt. She had guessed right and Peter was in the shower. She undressed, slid the shower partition open and stepped inside.

"Hey, you! Nice surprise." Peter turned towards her and pulled her close to him under the warm jet of water.

"I saw you in court today." she whispered while she laced her fingers behind his neck and pulled him in to a kiss.

"You were amazing." she added after they broke the kiss. She loosened her hands from his neck and started trailing kisses down his throat. She peered up to his face and saw the confused look in his eyes while she slid her arms around his waist and continued to kiss her way down his chest. Suddenly she felt his hand under her chin, pulling her up gently.

"Do I need to tell you now that I have to study?" he asked her in a low voice and she could see a glimmer in his dark eyes.

"You could if you think it will stop me." she whispered while running a hand upwards over his arm and through the hair at his neck.

"Only if you'll help me." he teased her and placed a tender kiss on her lips.

"Sure, my pleasure." she smiled at him seductively before she resumed to trail kisses down his body.

* * *

The next morning Alicia woke in Peter's arms. She sighed content and snuggled herself deeper in to his embrace. Her mind wandered back to her thoughts from the previous day in the court room of how she first met Peter and when they started dating. In the last years she had often thought about if she had been better off never meeting him but looking back now she was glad she had. And though being and staying by his side had cost many sacrifices she regretted nothing and was exactly where she wanted to be.


End file.
